Toronto Action for Social Change
Building Community Through Non-Violent Action
P.O. Box 73620, 509 St Clair Ave. West
Toronto, Ontario M6C 1C0
(416) 651-5800; e-mail burch@web.net

May 15, 1998

Open letter #3 to Richard Currie,

President, Loblaws

Dear Mr. Currie,

Okay, it's getting a bit ridiculous, don't you think? First you brought out a private security firm which charges you to film every moment of our vigils at Loblaws stores (monies which could be used to end hunger in Ontario). Then you have Santa and the elves arrested. Then you have the Second Harvest and Daily Bread write to us asking us to call off our anti-greed protests. Then you have The Easter Bunny, three assistants, and an innocent shopper arrested as well!

We're not sure why the heavy hand is being used here, although we could surmise that it indicates you are not interested in opening a real dialogue on ending hunger in Ontario. During the same week that we learned your 1997 compensation topped $9 million (stock options, salary and bonus) and that Loblaws' 1997 profits rose a staggering 22%, we also learned from a University of Toronto report that hunger continues to reach devastating heights in this province, with many reporting "severe food deprivation" in the City of Toronto.

Loblaws continues to get great PR for being part of the food drives, yet your corporation has yet to clean up the details of the $56 million in deferred, unpaid taxes which you owe; neither you nor Mr. Weston have apologized for helping elect Mike Harris, whose policies have created the massive increase in hunger; and we have yet to receive an explanation of how your inflated salary helps restore some balance to the social inequalities which have created such hunger in the first place.

We do not like the fact that 8 people have been arrested at your stores in the past few months, nor the fact that these 8 now face prosecution in the courts for simply attempting to seek an end to hunger; we do not like being blamed by food banks for the decline in donations; we do not like the fact that tens of thousands of people in this province continue to go hungry on a monthly basis because of corporate greed and Harris government policies.

We do not like the fact that we have written to you on a number of occasions and that you have not yet had the courtesy to respond to any of our concerns. What will it take? Must we continue to stage corporate hypocrite pickets at Loblaws stores, or will you finally answer our plea to open an honest, public discussion, and take a leading role in ending the root causes of hunger in Ontario, causes to which we believe Weston and Loblaws both contribute.

We sincerely hope that you or an appropriate representative of Loblaws will respond to this plea and take steps to set up a proper forum for discussion of our concerns.

We look forward to your prompt response. Please contact us at the above address.

For a greed-free world, we remain,

Toronto Action for Social Change

 

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